The Green Bay Packers have been dumped out of the NFL play-offs, following a series of brutal mistakes in the dying minutes of both halves against the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite having the probable MVP in Aaron Rodgers, and a defensive performance for the ages, Packers fans were left scratching their heads in disbelief after another crushing play-off loss.
Despite holding the 49ers to a mere 212 total yards on offence, they were unable to get much going themselves and ended up losing to a field goal as time expired, 13-10.
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All season, the Packers’ woes on special teams were amplified – speak to any fan and they’d have pointed to that as the only thing stopping them from finally reaching a second Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers.
Sadly for them, they were proven completely correct with a disasterclass for the ages.
First, with the Packers up 7-0 just before half time, they attempted a field goal that was blocked – and as bad as that was, if it had been their worst miscue of the day, everything still would have been fine as the 49ers offensive struggles continued in the second half.
But with Green Bay hanging on to a 10-3 lead with five minutes left, they looked to punt the ball away and give Jimmy Garoppolo one more chance to drive down the field.
Instead, the kick was blocked and Talanoa Hufanga was able to pick it up and score what was San Francisco’s only touchdown of the night.
After another offensive possession ended in a punt, the 49ers gained just enough field position to get Robbie Gould in position to boot the game winner.
But incredibly, the Packers were one player short on that final field goal attempt, lining up with only ten men on the field to try and block the kick.
It may not have made a difference anyway, but it was a fitting footnote to a season plagued by special teams errors.
Now, Aaron Rodgers time with the team may be done.
“I’m gonna take some time and have conversations with the folks around here, and then take some time away and make a decision – obviously before free agency,” he said afterwards.
San Francisco will play either Tampa Bay or the LA Rams in the NFC championship game, while Cincinatti won in the early game to reach the AFC championship game for the first time since 1988.
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